Top blanc de blancs Champagnes

Following our selection of the top Chardonnays under £20, the drinks business has drawn on the highest performing medallists in the Global Chardonnay Masters 2013 to bring you the top picks above £20.

The still wines in this price bracket will appear in their own list tomorrow, but such was the quality recognised by judges at this level within the sparkling category that we have highlighted the gold and master award winners separately here.

While a growing number of countries today produce excellent sparkling styles, Champagne has cultivated a highly successful niche with its Chardonnay, or blanc de blancs, expression.

More resilient than the highly strung Pinot Noir, Chardonnay can produce high quality more consistently in the marginal climate of Champagne. The variety also excels at transmitting the region’s famous chalky soils into the glass, producing crisp, mineral, styles that are often capable of long ageing.

Divided only by price bracket and, for ease of judging, whether the style was oaked or unoaked, the blind tasting format of the drinks business Global Chardonnay Masters allowed wines to be assessed without prejudice about their country of origin.

Wines were scored out of 100, with those gaining over 95 points being awarded the top title of Master. Those earning over 90 points were given a Gold, those over 85 points a Silver and those over 80 points a Bronze.

The wines were judged by Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers over two days on 23 and 24 September 2013 at private members club Broadway House in London.

One Response to “Top blanc de blancs Champagnes”

Sorry if this appears nit-picking but the 2005 vintage cannot have been aged for 10 years in the Taittinger cellars, as suggested in the article.

After a certain period in oak, as noted in the article, it would have been bottled in, say, Spring 2006 at the earliest and so when it was launched at the end of last year, it would have spent a maximum of 7 1/2 years in the cellars if my sums are correct. That’s 25% less time in the cellars than suggested

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